


The Letter

by DarkSwaan



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Family, Mother/Son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-23
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 17:03:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3216794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkSwaan/pseuds/DarkSwaan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before he ever knew her, he wrote her a letter. It was only today that she finally found it. This might end up being a collection of drabbles and short fics about Emma and Henry instead of just a one shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little fic based on the Untold Stories letter Henry wrote to Emma.

She'd come across it when she was cleaning out his school things; just two simple pieces of paper folded neatly in half and tucked into one of his notebooks. The handwriting was messy, childlike, but the name at the top, the person he'd addressed it to in his clumsy hand made her heart tug painfully in her chest.

_Dear Mom_

That single word, so powerful in his use, brought back the guilt she'd felt when she'd given him away in the first place. She could feel the sting in her eyes, trembling fingers coming up to wrap around her necklace, a distressed habit she'd formed after him, after her Henry. The words started to blur as she read the letter, reread it again, and again and again. He'd wanted her there, thought she didn't love him, didn't _want_ him.

She tried to breathe, gasped around the lump in her throat choking the air, felt the hot streaks of tears spilling over her cheeks. He'd been waiting for her, talking to her like she was there, felt the hole she had left in his life just as she'd always felt him.

"Mom?"

Emma turned her head to look at her son standing in the doorway, the backpack in his hand slipping and falling to the floor with a light thud. His eyes widened and suddenly he was running to her, small arms wrapped around her neck, face buried in her hair as he asked her what was wrong, why she was crying. She hugged him hard, still silent in her pain while that warmth he always brought to her life grew in the embrace.

"Mom, please don't cry," he mumbled, head snuggling closer into the side of her neck. She gave a watery smile and shook her head a bit, a breathy laugh falling from her lips and she pulled away to look him in the eye. A green tinted hazel, like hers. She brushed his bangs out of his eyes, cupped his face gingerly as she looked at him, _saw_ him again as though for the first time. This brave little boy, _her little boy_ , who fought for her, who's never given up hope, who loved her before he ever knew her.

_The little boy who felt her absence as she had always felt his._

"It's okay, kid. I'm okay." She smiled again, smoothing his hair behind his ears as she leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I found your letter is all."

Henry pulled back to look at her, confused for a moment before he looked at the papers on the floor next to them. And he smiled, a sad longing smile that broke her heart all over again as she pulled him to her, tried to wrap him in her love.

"I love you, Mommy." It was a broken whisper, so innocent and small, something she hadn't heard from him since the first time she'd met him, when he'd shown up at her door and taken her home.

"I love you too, Henry. Sooo much."


	2. Memories

The apartment in question is rather spacious, with a large bay window in the master bedroom overlooking the ocean to the east. The floor is polished dark hardwood and the kitchen has marble countertops and an antique looking diner table. The walls are made of brick and the smell of burning firewood permeates the entire place.

It feels a bit like her mother's home and she's glad of it.

"So mom, do you like it?"

Emma smiles at her son – he's nearly jumping in delight at his find – and nods her head.

"I love it, kid."

"I was thinking you would get the master bedroom, obviously, and I could have the little loft upstairs. And we could have the extra bedroom be a guest room or a game room or something."

She looks up the wrought iron stairs into the loft and grins. He _would_ want to be up there.

"Sounds great. I think we should make the extra room into a video game room. How's that sound?"

Henry smiles wide at her and Emma's heart is filled to the brim with love for her son. (She's so glad she got to be with him again. Glad she hasn't missed out on everything.)

"It'll be just like the apartment in Bo-" He stops suddenly and a shadow passes over his features. She knows it all too well, knows the confusion that clouds their minds sometimes.

That life they had together, it was never real. Not really. But to them, it was.

He looks at his mother, and she can see the conflict in him, the question that rises up even when he knows the answer. She pulls him into her arms, softly kissing the hair at the top of his head and running her fingers through it. She wishes more than anything that those memories had been the truth.

And despite everything he has now, sometimes he wishes it too.


	3. Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr prompt for Henry to tell Emma she's technically dating a pirate AND a sheriff without realizing it. Swan Believer with Irish Swan Trio. Cause it's adorable.

He doesn't know how to tell her, because obviously she doesn't know, but Henry believes it's something that's necessary, regardless of how fun it is to watch from the sidelines.

His mother is sitting in one of the booths in the back of the diner when he walks in, looking up at the sound of the bell and smiling warmly at him. He makes his way over, shuffling his school bag into the empty seat next to him and shrugging out of his heavy winter coat. He grins as Ruby quickly sets down a hot chocolate with cinnamon on the table and she winks in return before she turns around again.

"So, kid. What did you want to talk about?" Emma asks innocently. She's watching with a wide grin on her lips as he gulps down a few good mouthfuls of hot cocoa, a happy hum escaping him.

"Oh uh, well I noticed something that I think you need to know about."

She raises an eyebrow at him but doesn't say anything else, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, you know how you're always hanging out with Graham?"

"Yes…"

"And how Killian likes to tease you about it even though you two aren't actually dating?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well I think you need to know that I'm pretty sure Graham thinks you're dating him and Killian thinks you're dating him, so uh, you need to kind of sort that out mom. You're sort of dating two guys at the same time…?"

She's just staring at him, mouth a little open in surprise and eyebrows nearly disappearing into her hairline. He smiles, pleased with the reaction. He thought this was going to be hard.

"Uh…"

"Yeah mom?"

She blinks rapidly a few times and shakes her head as if to get out of her stupor, then looks at him with all the surprise and pride a mother could show. Really, he loves when he impresses her. She has a way of making him feel like he's somehow outwitted the rest of the world.

The bell at the entrance rings behind them twice in quick succession and before either of them have time to really register who's arrived, they hear two sets of boots moving towards them.

"Hey beautiful. Hey Henry." Killian grins as he walks past them briskly back towards the inn portion of the building, shaking off snow from his hair.

"Hello Emma, Henry." Graham stops at their table, a warm smile on his face and suddenly Emma's bright red and Henry is snickering - and doing a very bad job of hiding it - as his mother suddenly gets up, muttering an apology to the sheriff and racing away out of the diner.

Graham looks confused as he turns back to Henry.

"What's happened?"

"Oh nothing. Don't worry about it." Henry smiles back and gathers his things, pulling his coat on again and taking his bag to follow his mother back home.

Really, he thought this was going to be awkward. It turned out to be the best fun he'd had all week.


End file.
